Jim Wallis on Iraq

30Nov

From the beginning Jim Wallis has consistently opposed the Bush administration’s Iraq policy from an evangelical Christian perspective, swimming against the right wing fundamentalist tide. In Three Ways to ‘Stop the Course’ in Iraq he has much to say that is worth reading.

…There are no more enthusiastic and self-confident pep talks from the White House now. There is only a totally failed strategy, an insurgency fueled by an occupation, and a civil war that has put young Americans in the crossfire of religious and political hatred. And there is only death, for Americans and for Iraqis. American deaths now number nearly 3,000, and the killing of Iraqis seems to get worse by the week. We must also deal with how American morality has been destroyed by this war; its collateral damage now includes our international standing and respect. And let’s be clear: according to The New York Times, a National Intelligence Estimate warned that the war in Iraq has increased, not lessened, the threat from terrorism. My children and yours are far less safe, not more, because of Iraq.Most alarming to many of us was the way George Bush brought his faith into this war. The only thing worse than ignoring the facts is investing your ideological blindness with religious certainty. Religion is meant to provide deep reflection, not easy certainty. But George Bush’s religion didn’t lead to reflection, humility, or repentance in Iraq; only to the never-questioned resolve of a zealot. Not only did he ignore the deep concerns of former military leaders and foreign policy experts, this self-described man of faith consistently defied the strong opposition to the war in Iraq from so many religious leaders, at home and around the world. But while Bush’s religion didn’t cause him to change the course of his war in Iraq, the American people finally have. And now it is up to us, the Congress, and even the White House to stop the course…

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